Fiber optic connector holder and method

ABSTRACT

A fiber optic connector holder is sized to fit within an opening for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiber optic connector holder is configured to permit a fiber optic connector with a dust cap positioned about a ferrule and a polished end face of an optical fiber held by the ferrule to be inserted within and releasably held by the connector holder. A system for holding fiber optic connectors includes a fiber optic connector holder mounted within an opening in a bulkhead for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiber optic connector holder is configured to receive a fiber optic connector with a dust cap mounted about a ferrule and polished end face of an optical fiber held by the ferrule. An optical fiber connector may be held to a bulkhead when the fiber optic connector includes a dust cap mounted about a ferrule and a polished end face of an optical fiber held by the ferrule.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/540,258,filed Jul. 2, 2012, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/177,108, filed Jul. 6, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,756, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 12/908,271, filed Oct. 20, 2010,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,768 which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 12/185,504, filed Aug. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,775, whichis a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/729,425, filed Mar. 27,2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,407,330, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 10/610,325, filed Jun. 30, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No.7,198,409, which applications are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to holders for fiber opticconnectors and more specifically relates to holders for fiber opticconnectors which are protected by dust caps.

BACKGROUND

Fiber optic connectors include a polished end face, typically held by aferrule, which permits positioning of the optical fiber held by theconnector to receive and transmit signals another optical fiber oroptical light source. It is desirable to keep these polished end facesas free of contaminants as possible to improve the transmission of lightto and from the optical fiber held by the connector. Such contaminantswhich might adversely impact the transmission of light to and from theoptical fiber include but are not limited to dust and finger prints.

Dust caps may be provided for connectors to protect the polished endface of the optical fiber. However, when such dust caps are in place,the connector is not capable of being received in known optical fiberadapters, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,663, and U.S.Pat. No. 6,347,888. The disclosures of these patents are incorporatedherein by reference. A connector may be inserted into one of these knownadapters for storage or pre-wiring of a cross-connection point, aninterconnection point or some other type telecommunications switching orconnection equipment with the dust cap removed. While the adapters mightprovide some protection from contaminants to a single connector insertedinto an adapter, these adapters are not as effective as a dust cap inprotecting the polished end face.

It is desirable to improve the known methods and apparatus forprotecting the polished end face of a fiber optic connector withintelecommunications equipment.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a fiber optic connector holder sized tofit within an opening for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiberoptic connector holder is configured to permit a fiber optic connectorwith a dust cap positioned about a ferrule and a polished end face of anoptical fiber held by the ferrule to be inserted within and releasablyheld by the connector holder.

The present invention further relates to a system for holding fiberoptic connectors including a fiber optic connector holder mounted withinan opening in a bulkhead for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiberoptic connector holder is configured to receive a fiber optic connectorwith a dust cap mounted about a ferrule and polished end face of anoptical fiber held by the ferrule. The connector holder may be removedfrom the bulkhead and a fiber optic adapter may be mounted within thesame opening.

The present invention also relates to a method of holding an opticalfiber connector to a bulkhead, when the fiber optic connector includes adust cap mounted about a ferrule and a polished end face of an opticalfiber held by the ferrule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the description, illustrate several aspects of the invention andtogether with the detailed description, serve to explain the principlesof the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a fiber optic connector holderaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the fiber optic connector holderof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a first end view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG.1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a second opposite end view of the fiber optic connector holderof FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a first perspective view of system for holder a fiber opticconnector including the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1 with afiber optic connector inserted.

FIG. 9 is a second perspective view of the system for holding a fiberoptic connector of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the system for holding a fiber optic connectorof FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the system for holding a fiber optic connectorof FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is an end view of the system for holding a fiber optic connectorof FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the system for holding a fiberoptic connector of FIG. 8, taken along line A-A in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the system for holding afiber optic connector of FIG. 8.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the main housing of the fiber opticconnector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is a first perspective view of an inner housing of the fiberoptic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a second perspective view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a top view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a first end view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 21 is a second end view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 22 is a first perspective view of the cover of the fiber opticconnector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 23 is a second perspective view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a top view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a side view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 26 is a bottom view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 27 is a first end view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 28 is a second end view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the clip of the fiber optic connectorholder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 30 is an end view of the clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a side view of the clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a bottom view of the clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 33 is a top view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1inserted within an opening in a bulkhead.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a bulkhead including a plurality ofopenings for receiving fiber optic connector adapters and the fiberoptic connector holder of FIG. 1 inserted within one of the openings.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the dust cap of the fiber opticconnector of FIG. 14.

FIG. 36 is a side view of the dust cap of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is an end view of the dust cap of FIG. 35.

FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of the dust cap of FIG. 35.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the presentinvention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or similar parts.

Fiber optic cables may be terminated with fiber optic connectors such asconnector 100 shown in FIGS. 8 through 14, below. Optical fiber withinthese cables may be terminated at a polished end face held by a ferrule102 in connector 100, as is well known in the art and shown in U.S. Pat.No. 5,317,663, incorporated herein by reference. These polished endfaces and ferrules 102 need to be stored and protected until needed forconnecting to other fiber optic cables or optical signal equipment.

Often a dust cap 104 may be placed about ferrule 102 and the polishedend face of the optical fiber to protect the polished end face fromcontamination from dust, fingerprints or other items which might degradeoptical signal transmission. While it is known to store these in knownoptical fiber adapters until the fiber within the attached cable isneeded to connect to another fiber optic cable or optical signalequipment, such storage is less than ideal as adapters do not seal thepolished end face from contamination as well as dust cap 104 securelyfit and held about ferrule 102 of connector 100. Known adapters do notpermit insertion of connector 100 which still has dust cap 104 in placeabout ferrule 102 and the polished end face of the cable.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, connector holder 10 includes a mainhousing 12 defining an interior cavity 14. An open end 18 permitsinsertion of a connector 100 into cavity 14 while an opposite opening 16permits dust cap 104 to protrude from connector holder 10. A clip 20 ispositioned about main housing 12 and includes a pair of spring mountingclips 22. A pair of flanges 24 extends from opposing sides 26 of mainhousing 12 adjacent spring clips 22. Clips 22 and flanges 24 cooperateto releasably mount holder 10 to an opening in a bulkhead as is shownbelow.

Main housing 12 also includes a bottom 30 with a keyway 28 to receive akeyed extension of connector 100 to consistently orient connector 100for insertion into cavity 14. Opposite bottom 30 is an open top closed acover 32. This is shown in more detail in FIG. 12, below. FIGS. 3through 7 provide additional views of connector holder 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 13, connector 10 is shown withconnector 100 positioned within cavity 18. Dust cap 104 extends fromopening 16 of connector holder 10 while connector 100 is insertedthrough open end 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, connector holder 10 further includesan inner housing 34 with a pair of opposing releasable catches 36 and anopening 38 sized to receive dust cap 104. Inner housing 34 is positionedwithin main housing 12 through an open top 40 with opening 38 adjacentopening 16 and catches 36 adjacent open end 14. Cover 32 is thenpositioned within open top 40 and clip 20 placed about cover 32 and mainhousing 12. Cover 32 may be sealed within open top 40 by gluing,ultrasonic welding or a variety of known fastening techniques. Connector100 includes a pair of opposing recesses 106 which receive catches 36when connector 100 is inserted within holder 10.

As shown, connector 100 and holder 10 are FC style. Connector 100 andholder 10 may conform to other styles and formats of electricalconnectors and adapters without straying from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 15, main housing 12 also includes a slot 42 alongboth sides of cavity 14 to receiving and positioning a flange of innerhousing 34 within cavity 14. A recess 44 is provided along sides 26 toreceive clip 20. Open top 40 includes a ledge 46 upon which cover 32 ispositioned to close cavity 14. An outer bulkhead 68 forms a portion ofopening 16. An inner bulkhead 45 is positioned spaced apart from outerbulkhead 68 and these bulkheads cooperate to define slot 42. Betweenbulkheads 45 and 68 is a positioning surface 43 defining the bottom ofslot 42.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 to 21, inner housing 34 includes a pair ofclip arms 48 extending from a cross piece 50. Opening 38 for receivingdust cap 104 of connector 100 is in cross piece 50. Catches 36 are atthe end of clip arms 48 opposite cross piece 50. Cross piece 50 includesa pair of flanges 52 which are received in slots 42 in main housing 12.As shown in FIG. 18, catches 36 include a ramped portion 54 which isengaged by connector 100 as connector 100 is inserted within cavity 14through open end 18 of connector holder 10. Clip arms 48 are deflectedoutward allowing connector 100 to pass between catches 36. Whenconnector 100 is fully inserted within cavity 14 (as shown in FIG. 13)catches 36 are received within recesses 106 and a retaining surface 56of each catch 36 hold connector 100 within cavity 14.

Inner housing 34 is configured to permit insertion within slots 42 ofcavity 14 of main housing 12 in either of two orientations. A pair ofedges 66 of cross piece 50 properly position inner housing within cavity14 with regard to cover 32 and main housing 12 so that opening 38 isaligned to receive dust cap 104.

Referring now to FIGS. 22 to 28, cover 32 includes a recess 58 forreceiving clip 20 along an outer surface 68. Also in outer surface 68 isa recess 72 for receiving indicia. Along an inner surface 70 are formeda pair of edges 64 configured to be received upon ledges 46 of mainhousing 12. Extending from inner surface 70 is an outer flange 60 whichcooperates with bulkhead 68 within main housing 12 to define opening 16.Also extending from inner surface 70 is a inner flange 62 which isspaced apart from outer flange 60 to form a slot 63. Slot 63 cooperateswithin slot 42 of main housing 12 to receive flanges 52 of inner housing34. At the top of slot 63 is a positioning surface 61 which cooperateswith one of edges 66 of inner housing 34 to position inner housing 34within cavity 14 so that opening 38 of inner housing 34 is aligned withopening 16. When assembled as connector holder 10, positioning surface43 of main housing 12 and positioning surface 61 of cover 32 cooperateto engage both edges 66 of inner housing 34. Slot 42 of main housing 12and slot 63 of cover 32 cooperate to capture flanges 52 of inner housing34.

Referring now to FIGS. 29 to 32, clip 20 includes a cross piece 74 and apair of opposing sides 76. Spring clips 22 are formed in sides 76. Sides76 are received within recesses 44 of main housing 12 and cross piece 74is received within recess 58 of cover 32. It is anticipated that clip 20will be made of a resilient deformable metal to facilitate insertion andremoval from an opening in a bulkhead. Spring clips 22 each include anend 78 and a ramped surface 80.

FIGS. 33 and 34 shows fiber optic connector holder 10 inserted within anopening 84 in a bulkhead 82. Bulkhead 82 may be part of a piece oftelecommunications switching equipment such as a panel for making aplurality of connections between optical fiber cables including aplurality of openings 84 for adapters, as shown in FIG. 34.Alternatively, bulkhead 82 may include only a single opening 84 whereonly a single fiber optic connector holder 10 is needed.

Open end 18 of connector holder 10 is inserted through opening 84 untila pair of sides 86 of opening 84 engage ramped surfaces 80 of springclips 22. Continued insertion of connector holder 10 will cause bulkheadsides 86 to deflect spring clips 22 inward toward sides 26. Bulkheadsides 86 will eventually pass beyond ends 78 of spring clips 22. Springclips 22 will then spring back as shown in FIG. 34, capturing bulkheadsides 86 between ends 78 and flanges 24. Connector holder 10 may beremoved from opening 84 by compressing spring clips 22 and removing in adirection opposite the insertion described above.

Alternatively, flanges 24 may be configured to include a fasteneropening so that connector holder 10 can be mounted within opening 84 byremovable fasteners.

It is anticipated that bulkhead should be interpreted broadly enough toinclude a telecommunications installation where openings 84 for mountingadapters and connector holders are included into sliding adapter packs,such as described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,444. Thedisclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference. Bulkheadshould also be interpreted broadly enough to include a single opening ina wall or panel, a face plate of a telecommunications module forcross-connecting or interconnecting multiple optical fiber cables, aswell as other telecommunications installations where one or moreadapters may be mounted within an opening 84.

Referring now to FIGS. 35 through 38, dust cap 104 includes a centralopening 108 to receive ferrule 102 when ferrule 102 is inserted throughopen end 110. Opposite open end 110 is closed end 112 which includesknurling 114 to provide better grip for removing dust cap 104. Centralopening 108 fits about ferrule 102 to provide a seal about ferrule 102and to hold dust cap to connector 100. Due to the reduction of airvolume within central opening 108 when ferrule 102 is inserted (see FIG.13), one or more helix shaped recesses 116 are provided within centralopening 108 along inner walls 118. Recesses 116 extend from adjacentclosed end 112 to open end 110. Recesses 116 are small enough prevententry of unwanted contaminants and still permit air displaced withincentral opening 108 to be expelled when ferrule 102 is inserted so thatdust cap 104 may be fully seat to connector 100. Recesses 116 also allowair to pass into central opening 108 when dust cap 104 is withdrawn fromferrule 102. The shape of each recess 116 is also designed to allowpassage of air into and out of central opening 108 when dust cap 104 isremoved or placed on ferrule 102 while inhibiting the passage ofcontaminants along the same path.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theinvention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, the inventionresides in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. (canceled)
 2. A fiber optic connector holder system comprising: afiber optic connector including a connector body extending along alongitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, the fiber opticconnector also including a ferrule positioned at the first end of theconnector body, the ferrule having a side surface and an end surface,the ferrule holding an optical fiber having a polished end facepositioned at the end surface of the ferrule; a connector holderconfigured to hold the fiber optic connector so that the longitudinalaxis of the fiber optic connector is generally horizontal when the fiberoptic connector is held by the connector holder, the connector holderbeing structured to hold the fiber optic connector in a firstorientation and being structured to not hold the fiber optic connectorin a second, opposite orientation; and a ferrule cover defining areceptacle in which the polished end face of the fiber optic connectoris disposed so that an inner surface of the ferrule cover engages theside surface of the ferrule and a closed end of the ferrule coveropposes the polished end face of the optical fiber.
 3. The fiber opticconnector holder system of claim 2, wherein the connector holderreleasably holds the fiber optic connector stationary relative to theconnector holder.
 4. The fiber optic connector holder system of claim 2,further comprising a panel defining an aperture at which the connectorholder is disposed.
 5. The fiber optic connector holder system of claim4, wherein the connector holder is configured to latch to the panel. 6.The fiber optic connector holder system of claim 4, wherein the rearside of the connector holder is spaced from the panel when the connectorholder is disposed at the aperture.
 7. The fiber optic connector holdersystem of claim 6, wherein the first end of the connector body ispositioned closer to the rear side of the connector holder than thesecond end of the connector body when the fiber optic connector is heldby the connector holder so that the first end of the connector body isspaced from the panel when the connector holder is disposed at theaperture.
 8. The fiber optic connector holder system of claim 2, whereinthe inner surface of the ferrule cover has an annular shape.
 9. Thefiber optic connector holder system of claim 2, wherein the ferrulecover has a generally cylindrical shape.
 10. The fiber optic connectorholder system of claim 2, wherein the ferrule cover has an open endopposite the closed end, the open end leading into the receptacle. 11.The fiber optic connector holder system of claim 2, wherein the ferrulecover is a separate piece from the connector holder.
 12. The fiber opticconnector holder system of claim 2, wherein the ferrule cover remains onthe ferrule when the fiber optic connector is removed from the connectorholder.
 13. A fiber optic connector holder and protection systemcomprising: a fiber optic connector including a connector body extendingalong a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, thefiber optic connector also including a ferrule positioned at the firstend of the connector body, the ferrule having a side surface and an endsurface, the ferrule holding an optical fiber having a polished end facepositioned at the end surface of the ferrule; and a connector holder andcovering arrangement including a body configured to releasably hold thefiber optic connector so that the longitudinal axis of the fiber opticconnector is generally horizontal when the fiber optic connector is heldby the connector holder, the body being structured to hold the fiberoptic connector in a first orientation and being structured to not holdthe fiber optic connector in a second, opposite orientation, theconnector holder and covering arrangement including a ferrule cover inwhich the polished end face of the fiber optic connector is disposed sothat an inner surface of the ferrule cover engages the side surface ofthe ferrule and a closed end of the ferrule cover opposes the polishedend face of the optical fiber.
 14. The fiber optic connector holder andprotection system of claim 13, wherein the inner surface of the ferrulecover has an annular shape.
 15. The fiber optic connector holder andprotection system of claim 13, wherein the ferrule cover has a generallycylindrical shape.
 16. The fiber optic connector holder and protectionsystem of claim 13, wherein the ferrule cover has an open end oppositethe closed end.
 17. The fiber optic connector holder and protectionsystem of claim 13, further comprising a panel defining an aperture atwhich the connector holder and covering arrangement is disposed, whereinthe body of the connector holder and covering arrangement is configuredto latch to the panel.
 18. The fiber optic connector holder andprotection system of claim 17, wherein the polished end face of thefiber optic connector is spaced from the panel when the connector holderis disposed at the aperture.
 19. The fiber optic connector holder systemof claim 13, wherein the ferrule cover is a separate piece from the bodyof the connector holder and covering arrangement.
 20. The fiber opticconnector holder system of claim 19, wherein the ferrule cover remainson the ferrule when the fiber optic connector is removed from the bodyof the connector holder and covering arrangement.